Lips

Satisfy Your Pink and Coral Cravings With The New Dior Addict Lipsticks From the Cherie Bow Collection

December 12th, 2012 by Karen 23 Comments

dior cherie bow candide addict lipstick — That’s Dior Addict Lipstick in Candide ($31), from the Cherie Bow spring 2013 collection, on my lips

The three new lightweight, creamy Dior Addict Lipsticks in the Cherie Bow collection ought to be gift wrapped.

Oh, wait! — they are. In a manner of speaking. Dior wrapped these pretty pink and coral spring lippies in a finish so fetching that it shines bright like a diamond. (Gah! I’ve got that Rihanna song stuck in my head!)

Light pink Candide, pinkish coral Charmante and rosy pink Espiegle are also addictive, as the Dior Addict name implies. If lips could dream, mine would fantasize about this marvelously moisturizing formula and slick, smooth texture.

Whenever I wear these, I walk around rubbing my lips together, mrmm, mrrmm, mrrmm…

dior cherie bow addict lipstick candide charmante espiegle closeup — From the left: Candide, Charmante and Espiegle

dior cherie bow candide charmante espiegle — From the left: Candide, Charmante and Espiegle

dior cherie bow swatches candide charmante espiegle — Swatches from the left: Candide, Charmante and Espiegle

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BECCA’s Shiny, Lightweight Ultimate Colour Glosses Live Where Lipgloss and Hazelnuts Collide

December 7th, 2012 by Karen 22 Comments

becca ultimate colour gloss — Becca Ultimate Colour Glosses from top to bottom: Fallen Angel, Autumn Punch and Berry Twist ($24 each)

Oh, hello there, lips. What’s that you say? You’re tired of the same-o, same-o fruit punch/vanilla/brown sugar lipgloss flavors and cloying fruit scents?

Lucky for you, BECCA’s outrageously hydrating $24 Ultimate Colour Glosses are here to shake things up in a nutty, new delicious way.

One word: Nutella.

First, I should note that I’m currently ravenous, and my tummy’s rumbling like crazy. I don’t think there’s an official Nutella collaboration involved here, but I swear, my nose and tastebuds detect something very hazel-nutty when I wear these…

But like the memory of a dream early in the morning, it quickly fades, until it’s gone within a minute.

Depending on which side of the Nutella-covered fence you’re on, you may or may not think these are great.

Personally, I would have liked to see the flavor and scent last longer, but then again, I used to keep a spoon and a jar of Nutella in my purse for “emergencies.”

These shiny, non-sticky glosses are also pigmented, and they come in 10 shades, from soft nudes like Fallen Angel, to deep, juicy hues like Berry Twist, so there’s something here to satisfy almost every pout.

BECCA even added vitamin E and emollients to the formula (but left out the parabens) to lavish lips with moisture and shine…

becca ultimate colour gloss swatches — From the left: Fallen Angel, Autumn Punch and Berry Twist

becca ultimate colour gloss fallen angel — Fallen Angel

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The Four Universally Flattering Shades in the $15 Sephora Mini Ultra Shine Gloss Set Pack a Seriously Shiny Punch

December 6th, 2012 by Karen 11 Comments

The new Sephora Mini Ultra Shine Gloss Set — Sephora’s new $15 Mini Ultra Shine Gloss Set

Sephora calls the four petite pink and nude shades in their $15 Mini Ultra Shine Gloss Set universally flattering.

I call ’em perfect for purses and sunglasses, on account of their diminutive stature (0.1 ounces each), their easy, breezy sheer-to-medium coverage and a finish that’s brighter than the sun!

sephora mini ultra shine gloss set — From the left: Precious Pink, Pin-Up Pink, Rose Petal and Perfect Nude

sephora mini gloss set swatches — From the left: Precious Pink, Pin-Up Pink, Rose Petal and Perfect Nude

sephora mini shine gloss set — Pin-Up Pink

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The New Dolce & Gabbana Animalier Collection Classic Cream Lipsticks in Iconic, Desert and Caramel Are Like Makeup ThunderCats

December 5th, 2012 by Karen 27 Comments

dolce gabbana iconic lipstick — Wearing the new Dolce & Gabbana Classic Cream Lipstick in Iconic

When boredom threatens your makeup bag, whom do you call?

Batman? Nope, he can’t help.

Spidey? Sorry, not this time.

Jeremy Renner?

Yes…you call Jeremy Renner. 🙂

But seriously, you call Dolce & Gabbana! With their fierce leopard-print caps, the three new $34 limited edition Dolce & Gabbana Classic Cream Lipsticks from the Animalier collection are so wild they’re practically feral.

Cat lady says what?

(What?)

Iconic (a warm-toned tomato red), Desert (a shimmery bronze) and Caramel (a sheer beige) will go purrfectly with some of my favorite accessories, like my leopard-print dress, the husky tabby often draped across my arms, and the golden neutral shades in D&G’s new Desert eyeshadow quad.

All three have Dolce & Gabbana’s faint rosy lipstick flavor and scent and a creamy, luxuriously smooth formula that lasts on my lips from 3-4 hours.

dolce & gabbana holiday 2012 — Classic Cream Lipsticks from the left: Desert, Caramel and Iconic

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What’s Cooking at the Sephora Gloss Lab? Sheer, Non-Sticky MAC Cremesheen Dupes

December 4th, 2012 by Karen 21 Comments

sephora gloss lab review Hot Pink No. 5 — Wearing Hot Pink No. 5 from the new $25 Sephora Gloss Lab kit

If chem lab had been anywhere near as much fun as Sephora’s new Gloss Lab, I never would have finished any of my titrating!

I would have been too busy mixing and matching the 10 marvelously moisturizing glosses (which could easily pass for MAC Cremesheens) in the $25 kit, and then watching the clouds above my head part to a concerto of harps and herald angels singing.

Unlike chem lab, Gloss Lab is exclusive to Sephora. The limited edition holiday kit, which is available now, comes with seven shades in an assortment of nude and bright colors and three colorless top coats (one clear gloss, another with small bits of white shimmer in it, and a third with larger bits of multi-colored shimmer), and all 10 of them come with an easy-to-use doe-foot applicator.

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For a Pin-Up Perfect Pout, Try Laura Mercier Creme Smooth Lip Colour in Deco Rouge

November 29th, 2012 by Karen 13 Comments

Laura Mercier Creme Smooth Lip Colour in Deco Rouge ($26)

While it’s true that quick escapes from the zombies — especially those fresh ones that can run — are a little easier if you aren’t toting around 24 different tubes of red lipstick, the makeup code of conduct is clear on the topic of red lipsticks. No tube gets left behind.

I’m always looking for a new excuse to grow my red lipstick collection/arsenal, and if you are too, don’t miss Laura Mercier’s new $26 Creme Smooth Lip Colour in Deco Rouge ($26) from the Art Deco Muse collection.

Before I’d even touched the tube, I had a feeling it might be special when I saw it worn down to the nub at a counter…

And then it was love at first swipe. The stuff of pin-up girl dreams, it’s a warm, blazingly bright tomato red unemcumbered by scents or flavors.

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The New Bobbi Brown Caviar & Oyster Collection Lip Glosses: Designed to Lure Makeup Loving Pirates and Beauty Buccaneers

November 27th, 2012 by Karen 22 Comments

bobbi brown moonlight pearl brightening lip gloss — Wearing Bobbi Brown Brightening Lip Gloss in Moonlight Pearl

If I were a pirate…my makeup collection would be my pirate’s booty, yargh!

And like most swashbuckling sailors of the seven seas (at least the ones in Hollywood movies), I’d wear a lot of looks featuring dark black eyeliner (hello, have you seen Jack Sparrow’s water line?? FIERCE!).

I’d also want a steady supply of sheer glosses to balance out those heavy eyeliner looks.

Ahoy, matey! Bobbi Brown has yer solution, and it’s not just for buccaneers and marauders. If you have a soft spot for sheer gloss, you just might like the five new $23 Lip Glosses from the Caviar & Oyster Collection.

Like a hunk of driftwood or a bottle with a message inside (“Please send gravy!”), the eight-piece release recently washed up on Bobbi Brown counters, delighting makeup treasure hunters with a palette, a nail polish, a dual-ended mascara and the five new glosses in predominantly cool-toned neutral shades.

The hook? — no, not the one replacing Blackbeard’s hand. With the collection, Bobbi aimed to offer her fans the option of going strong and smokey or soft and pretty.

But here’s the thing about the glosses: even the darker shades, like Moonlight Pearl and Black Pearl, seem pretty tame to me, so you might want to blank them out first with a layer of concealer.

bobbi brown caviar oyster lip glosses — From the left: Brightening Lip Gloss in White, Brightening Lip Gloss in Moonlight Pearl, Shimmer Lip Gloss in Black Pearl, High Shimmer Lip Gloss in Oyster and Shimmer Lip Gloss in Oyster

bobbi brown caviar oyster swatches lip gloss — Swatches from the left: Brightening Lip Gloss in White, Brightening Lip Gloss in Moonlight Pearl, Shimmer Lip Gloss in Black Pearl, High Shimmer Lip Gloss in Oyster and Shimmer Lip Gloss in Oyster

bobbi brown black pearl lip gloss — Shimmer Lip Gloss in Black Pearl

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Rich, Red and Opaque, Laura Mercier Lip Lacquer in Laque Rouge Is Red-dy for Action

November 22nd, 2012 by Karen 23 Comments

laura mercier laque rouge lip lacquer — Wearing the new Laura Mercier Lip Lacquer in Laque Rouge ($22)

Red hot mama or not, Laura Mercier’s new $22 Lip Lacquer in Laque Rouge, from the new Art Deco Muse Collection, is not a lipgloss I’d want to wear on the dance floor while Bizarre Love Triangle pulses over loudspeakers.

No, it is not ideal for such situations — like when you’re shaking your groove thang and that cute boy across the room makes goo-goo eyes at you…

(You know what I’m talking about.)

There are better lip products for times like that, like perhaps sheerer products, like good ol’ MAC Big Baby and Ample Pink.

Limited edition Laque Rouge is so rich, red and opaque that a lip liner and a steady hand are practically required.

Normally, my lazy side would say, “pish-tosh!” to something like that. “I’ll pass.” But Laque Rouge forces me to reconsider. It’s one of the shiniest, most intense fire-engine reds I’ve even seen, and wearing it makes me feel like a (short, Filipino) ’40s screen siren.

What is it?

A full-coverage, intensely pigmented lipgloss with a lacquer-like finish.

What’s the texture like?

The medium-weight formula feels a little sticky, but comfortable, and it applies evenly without streaking.

Is it moisturizing?

Very! My parched pout had a few flakes before I put it on the other day, and after a few hours, my lips felt about a million times better, softer and satiated. I also like that the formula doesn’t emphasize every little crack or flake.

What’s the taste/scent situation?

Non existent, because it has neither.

And how about wear time?

I get anywhere from 4-6 hours per application (less if I’m sipping or snacking).

Is it similar to any other products?

Are you familiar with Hourglass Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss in Icon or MAC Extreme Sheen in Drive By Love? — because it reminds me of both of those, and other pigmented, high-shine glosses.

Anything else I should know?

Yay for the easy-to-use doe-foot applicator! For a super precise look, though, you might also want a lip brush for getting into corners, and for your cupid’s bow.

One more thing — Laque Rouge seems to lean a little warm on me and has yellow undertones, so it might not be a great fit if you prefer your reds with a blue base. If that’s the case, MAC Russian Red Lipglass might be a better choice.

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